Area of Effect Buffs

[Lappy9000]

Now, when I play a character, I'm generally happiest while knee deep in combat or assisting the rest of the group. However, the group currently has a fantastic tank (and how!) and combat is pretty much taken care of.

I'd like to play something that focuses around buffing my allies and filling in for whatever else is needed. I'm thinking about Factotum or Bard, but I keep running into a problem: I'm having difficulty finding buff spells that affect multiple targets.

So far, I've found Bless, and that's it. Calm Emotions was another choice, but that's kinda self-defeating if I play a bard.

Does anyone know of some multiple target buff spells on the Bard or Sorc/Wiz spell lists? (I'll play a cloistered cleric if there's a lot of divine spells to be had)

[Fouredged Sword]

Take bard and take the versitile spellcaster feat, heighten spell, and widen spell.

At level 6 go into the warweaver class.

Now all of your buff spells effect everyone in the party, even your healing spells.

This makes a healing hymn bard one of the best party healers in terms of raw HP healed per spell slot.

[Keld Denar]

Haste, Inspire Courage (song, not a spell, but boosted by spells like Inspirational Boost), Haste, Snake's Swiftness (Mass), Haste, Haste, Haste.

EDIT: There's also pseudo-buffs. If you blind a foe with Glitterdust, you are basically casting Mass Greater Invisbility on your whole party. If you cast Curse of Impending Blades, you are giving all of your allies a stacking +2 to hit, no save. Enfeebling a foe for 6 points of Str is the same as giving your whole party +3 AC and 3-5 points of DR, depending on how the foe attacks. Its debuffing your enemies, which buffs your allies.

[Optimator]

Both Snowsong and Empyreal Ecstasy are Bard 6 area buffs. Haste is an area. Protection from Spells too.

Time to dig deep.
(http://www.imarvintpa.com/dndlive/FindSpell.php)
Allegro, Brilliant Aura, Anticold Sphere, Aura of Evasion, Avoid Planar Effects, Planar Tolerance, Battle Hymn, All the Mass [animal] buffs, Cacophonic Shield, Mass Darkvision, Mass Enlarge Person, Mass Reduce Person, Etherealness (kinda), Greater Glacial Ward, Globe of Invulnerability, Good Hope, Heroe's Feast, Hymn of Praise, Inspired Aim, Mass Phantom Steed, Proud Arrogance, Rage, Mass Reflective Disguise, Regal Procession, Mass Fire Shield, Silence (kinda), Mass Snake's Swiftness, Mass Surefooted Stride, Telepathic Bond and its interplanar counterpart.

Those are all the Bard and Wizard spells I found that would consider an "area buff". There are many more single target buff spells on their lists, and I probably missed a few too. If you want to go the Arcane group buffer route, I'd suggest Wizard into Prestige Bard and PrC out into something like War Weaver or Virtuoso or anything, really. Incantatrix, even. Sublime Chord is another good choice for this type of character. Reach Spell + CHain Spell shenanigans, through Archmage or Incantatrix or Metamagic Song, could make any single target buff an area buff.

[Lappy9000]

Tremendously helpful! Thank you all!